1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motorcycle, wherein an axle of a rear wheel is supported for rotation at a rear end of a swing arm supported at a front end portion thereof for rocking motion on a vehicle body frame. A rear end exhaust portion of an exhaust system connected to a cylinder head provided on an engine body carried on the vehicle body frame forwardly of the rear wheel is disposed at a position higher than the axle. Furthermore, an exhaust control valve for adjusting the flow area in an exhaust pipe which forms part of the exhaust system is disposed in the exhaust pipe.
2. Description of Background Art
A motorcycle as described above has been described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-138828.
In the motorcycle described in the above document; however, the exhaust control valve is disposed on the lower side forwardly of the axle of the rear wheel and the exhaust control valve is positioned close to the rear wheel and the supporting surface of the rear wheel. Therefore, the exhaust control valve is in an environment wherein it is liable to be exposed to dust, rainwater and so forth. In addition, the exhaust control valve in the above document, which has a sliding portion, is preferably disposed in a better environment.